Software development has advanced in ways that made it possible for entrepreneurs and work-at-home disciples to grow their business with minimal external professional assistance. Certain software applications like desktop publishing and computer-aided design (CAD), enabled businesses to create materials in-house, which eliminated the need to spend additionally for designer expertise and cost of printing services.

Desktop Publishing Software is in wider use since most businesses start out by creating basic communication and marketing materials like business cards and stationery, brochures, posters and web-based press releases. In fact, even professional designers benefited from this tool as it allowed them to expand and venture into providing online publishing services.

Desktop Publishing Software Made Printing and Publishing Affordable to All

In the mid-80s, printed business materials became less costly with the advent of Aldus Pagemaker and the Mac computer. Still, spending on marketing and advertising materialswere limited, as startup businesses had very little resources to use in acquiring and installing such software.

Nonetheless, opportunities started getting better with the introduction of desktop publishing software that required only design and publishing skills upon installation.

Moreover, the availability of online tutorials on how to use and manage a readily usable page layout made desktop publishing a less daunting task.

Online educational courses on the basics of graphic design combined with publishing techniques made desktop publishing software a worthy business investment. Professional graphic designers either gained employment, or ventured into offering printing and publishing services.

Cloud Desktop Publishing

A few years later, the introduction of cloud-based desktop publishing altogether made the application accessible and truly affordable. Simply downloading a desktop publishing software in one’s PC, will give users great opportunity for improving, if not acquiring knowledge on how to arrange and rearrange texts and graphics on readily available page layouts.

Even ordinary households benefited from downloadable software as they can now access tools for creating greeting cards, invitations, resumes, academic work, and personalized stationery. Even if hardly equipped with designing skills, they develop printed outputs at par with professionally-crafted materials.

To date, leading the host of software providers that offer downloadable publishing and typesetting applications as desktop tools are Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, and Microsoft Publisher.

Free to Download Desktop Publishing Software

The next best alternative to the software provided by those industry giants are the free downloadable desktop publishing programs developed by lesser known independent providers. Making bad designs is no longer a problem, since a user can always make modifications at no extra costs.